Edmon Marukyan calls for launching impeachment process for Armenia`s  premier 

ArmInfo.  Chairman of the Enlightened Armenia party, former Ambassador-at-Large of Armenia  Edmon Marukyan calls not to avoid the process of expressing a vote of  no confidence in the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol  Pashinyan.

In his statement, the politician noted that silence and inaction in  the current situation could have irreversible consequences for  Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan's former party comrades Hovik Agazaryan and  Hakob Aslanyan, through their party, the United National  Constitutional Party, initiated the process of removing Pashinyan  from office and nominating Edmon Marukyan as a candidate for the post  of Prime Minister. The latter said live on air that he was asked to  agree to start the parliamentary procedure of expressing no  confidence. Marukyan, responding to criticism, called for not being  afraid of such steps and noted: "I was offered the role of a  candidate for the post of prime minister solely for the purpose of  creating an opportunity to begin the parliamentary procedure of  expressing no confidence in the current government. I have never  sought a government position, much less power. But today we are  facing a fateful moment. Political forces, regardless of ideological  differences, are obliged to cast aside all personal ambitions and be  guided by state thinking. When the situation is so critical,  remaining silent and inactive is the same as betraying the future of  the country. Political responsibility requires determination. If  there is even the slightest opportunity to change the situation, we  must seize it."

Signatures of 36 deputies are needed to initiate a vote of no  confidence in the National Assembly. The two opposition factions, the  Armenia bloc and the I Have the Honor faction, have only 34 deputies  combined.  For this reason, they have been holding off on initiating  the process for months. Now that Agazaryan and Aslanyan have joined  forces and nominated Marukyan as a candidate, the necessary number of  signatures can be collected. The opposition factions have previously  stated that they are ready to join the process if it is technically  possible to collect the necessary signatures.